An ATF special agent and explosives K9 at the scene of the movie theater shooting in Antioch. (ATF/Twitter)
A man armed with an airsoft gun, hatchet and wearing a backpack on his chest was killed by police officers at a movie theater in Antioch, Tennessee.
Police said they responded to a shots fired call at the Carmike Hickory 8 theater at about 1:15 p.m. Wednesday. One person inside the theater was wounded by the hatchet, but it was a “superficial” wound. That person and two others were injured by pepper spray used by the suspect.
Police said the man has been tentatively identified as a 29-year-old local resident, Vincente Montano, who has a history of mental issues and has been committed to mental hospitals four times.
Montano was killed by police as he tried to exit through a rear door of the theater.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Montano Was Inside a Theater Playing the Movie ‘Mad Max’
Police said Montano was in a theater room playing the movie “Mad Max: Fury Road.” There were about 20 people inside the building and about eight inside the theater room, including the suspect, police said.
Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron said their response was “swift.” The first officer on scene entered the theater and encountered the shooter. The officer fired at the suspect and then backed out while a SWAT team responded. The shooter, who was wearing a surgical mask, was killed after the SWAT team arrived. Police initially said the man fired at the officers, but they now say they haven’t confirmed if that is true.
The man was armed with an airsoft handgun. Police released photos of the weapons:
Aaron said the pepper spray was so thick that the SWAT team had to go back for gas masks.
Just got this video in from a viewer at the theater shooting scene. You can hear multiple shots being fired. http://t.co/1FCl86oI7z
Aerial video shot by local NBC affiliate WSMV shows what appears to be the man’s body outside the theater on a sidewalk.
Police said a 58-year-old man was treated for the “superficial” hatchet wound and pepper spray. A 51-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl were also treated because of the pepper spray, the fire department said.
“We are extremely grateful. this could have been a lot worse,” fire department spokesman Brian Haas said.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) says it has resources and agents at the scene.
2. Police Detoanted 2 Backpacks That the Suspect Had With Him
BREAKING: police on scene of a shooting at the hickory hollow cinemas in Antioch. http://t.co/03nb2cNEBu
Police said Montano had two backpack-type bags, one with him and one he left elsewhere.
The backpack the man was wearing held a fake bomb, police said.
A team of police is making sure there is nothing dangerous inside the backpacks. The bomb squad is “not comfortable” with what they saw inside the bags, police said. They detonated the bags.
3. Local Business Were Locked Down
(Google Maps)
Several local businesses were put into lock down after reports of shots fired. The theater is located in an area with several stores.
The businesses locked down included the Ford Ice Center and The Global Mall, according to WSMV-TV.
An Uber driver who was dropping off passengers in the theater parking lot when the shots were fired told The Tennessean it was “utter chaos” there.
“I just couldn’t believe this was happening again,” the driver, Eric Vale, told the newspaper.
4. Antioch Is Governed By the City of Nashville
Antioch is a community in Middle Tennessee that is managed by the Nashville city government and patrolled by Nashville police.
It was the first day of school in the area, according to local news reports.
5. The Shooting Comes Weeks After a Deadly Shooting at a Louisiana Movie Theater
Police work outside of the Grand Theatre after the shooting. (Getty)
The shooting comes just weeks after a gunman opened fire at a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana, killing two people and injuring nine others.
The 59-year-old gunman, John Houser, fatally shot himself.
